Intimidation

            It's kind of a standing joke around our house. Before every breakfast and before every dinner, my wife places a small dish containing several vitamin pills by my plate. I always object. "Why so many pills?"  "Because I want you to live a long time," she says, "and these pills keep you healthy." If I dare protest too much, I am met with a stiff order laced with Hispanic temper. "Take your pills!" One does not argue long with a Latina. At least not with this one.

            Since 1989 my spouse, devoted to my physical wellbeing,  has been buying vitamin pills and other products, mostly toiletries, from an Idaho company called Melaleuca.  Those who are not familiar with Melaleuca may become more so, because its founder, Frank Vandersloot, has been in the news lately as a victim of President Obama's campaign shenanigans. His name was placed atop Obama's enemies list when Melaleuca donated a million dollars to Mitt Romney in 2012. What followed is a prime example of the abuse of power by the government.
            According to Vandersloot, leftist blogs and journalists began smearing him as a disreputable character. Then Michael Wolf, an investigator linked to the Obama campaign,  began snooping around for any kind of dirt he could dig up. When he came up empty, the IRS moved in with three successive letters of audit. This same IRS had audited Vandersloot only once in the previous 30 years and gave him a clean bill of health. The new IRS inquisition found nothing either.  But the IRS did hold up a refund due Mr. Vandersloot. He's still waiting.
            Next, the Department of Labor started looking into Melaleuca's labor practices.  It also came up empty. But the message was clear: This is what happens to Obama's opponents. The word is INTIMIDATION.  
            Such abuse of power is beyond indefensible. It is criminal.
            Frank Vandersloot is a wealthy man. He could afford to spend $80,000 on legal and accounting fees to defend himself.  But what if he didn't have the resources to fend off the politically motivated henchmen of the Obama administration? What about all the ordinary citizens who were targeted by the IRS because their names were associated with the Tea Party?
            Melaleuca topped $1 billion last year in product sales.  Some may wish to criticize Melaleuca's multi-level marketing methods.  That's fine.  I myself was one of those critics way back when. Now I think I'll give a rousing cheer for Frank Vandersloot, take my pills, and shut up.